I have long had a tendency to tie marksmanship to morality. The essence of good marksmanship is self-control, and self-control is the essence of good citizenship. It is too easy to say that a good shot is automatically a good man, but it would be equally incorrect to ignore the connection.
Marksmanship is the heart of everything we do here. Through marksmanship, we learn and practice discipline, focus, and self-control. As one of my podcast guests once put it over a couple of beers, “Marksmanship is the American Martial Art.”
Here you will find all of my articles, podcasts, and marksman challenges relating to the study and practice of good marksmanship. If you’re specifically looking to learn the fundamentals, be sure to check out my article series on how to shoot a rifle. I’ll soon be working on a series for pistol marksmanship as well.
If you haven’t tested yourself against a Marksman Challenge, be sure to check one of them out and lets us know how you did over in the community forum.
/// Marksmanship Archive
Getting Started in Tactical Biathlon
In this guest post, Erik talks us through a new type of tactical biathlon going on down in Texas. Are you up for this combination of endurance and shooting prowess?
The MEC Marksman Challenge: Better Think Fast
This marksman challenge is something I'm calling the "Make Effective Choices" challenge. Like the pistol shooting drills that inspired it, you must balance speed against precision and decision making. Let's dig in.
Lessons Learned From My First PRS Rimfire Match
I recently competed in my first PRS Rimfire match, and it was a great time. I also came away with several observations and lessons learned. Let's dig into what I would do different for next time and what you might consider for your first match.
Do You Know Your DOPE? Here’s a Custom Card
With my upcoming PRS Rimfire match, I set out to create my own custom DOPE cards. Whether I need them or not remains to be seen, but I figured you might be interested in downloading the template for yourself.
The Beginner’s Guide to Zeroing Rifle Scopes
Today we're doing a deep dive into zeroing a rifle scope. This procedure applies wether you're working with a red dot, fixed magnification, low powered variable, or a long range precision optic. All you need to know is a few basics about your scope, some range time, and a box of ammunition.
How to Build Shooting Discipline with Standing, Despite the Panic
I was recently turned on to a YouTube channel simply titled, "Konrad." I've bookmarked it for future reference, but in light of the ongoing ammunition shortage and a renewed focus on "back to basics," I wanted to share a few videos all about improving your standing position performance.
The Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Training Course
I've got a bit of experience between training and competition, though not as much as I'd like. Still, I've learned a few things along the way and today we're talking about some of the key lessons I wish I could go back and make sure I knew back at the beginning.
Ammo Shortage? No Problem. Here’s a Solution
If you’re anything like me, then the great ammo shortage of 2020 has been putting a significant damper on your range time. I have a healthy stash set aside, for sure, but the general turmoil I’m seeing out there makes me reluctant to start using it until there’s a ready replacement. So what do we do?
Mike Green of Green Ops Tactical Talks About Adult Skills
Mike Green is a 15 year veteran of Special Operations who began a training company in Northern Virginia as a bit of a side gig. His school has since grown into quite the training operation spanning multiple states and categories of students. One of the things that stood out to me about Green Ops is their motto, “Why Should Your Training Be Less Special?”
The Marksman’s Trinity: Balance for New and Old Gun Owners
The theme of the month is all about balance, so here’s another one to think about. I thought about the elements that should go into decision making regarding everything we do, and I categorized everything into these three: safety, capability, and security. As gun owners and firearms enthusiasts, we should always be mindful of keeping these things in balance.
Ammo Companies HATE this Substitute for 22LR Dry Fire
Sure, the headline was a little clickbaity, but I thought it was funny. Regular dry practice with your rifles and pistols is an important component to keeping up your skills. Done right, it dramatically cuts back on the amount of range time and ammo you need to spend while also greasing the groove of your fundamentals. The trouble is that you're not really supposed to dry fire a rimfire rifle, right?
Answering the Question: Why Good Marksmanship is Important
I don't know why this question has been on my mind lately, but I've felt compelled to try and put words to my answer. Why is good marksmanship important? What do we get from learning and practicing it? I think there's an assumption within the gun world that everyone already knows that marksmanship is important. But I don't think most people actually care.
A Marksman’s Guide to the Squatting Position
The squatting position, otherwise known as “Rice Paddy Prone,” isn't as common as it once was. It is a moderate stability position that supports both elbows, making it more stable than kneeling yet keeping a high level of mobility.
Now Hear This: Are 22LR Trainers Overhyped?
By this point, it's no secret that I'm way down the path to building a 22LR rifle for training and competition. I've previously written about using 22LR as a short-range substitute for centerfire rifles at long range because of its inferior ballistics. With that in mind, I want to share a podcast episode from Wolf Precision on this very topic, and why my thinking might be wrong.
A Marksman’s Guide to the Sitting Position
Jeff Cooper, in The Art of the Rifle, stated that the seated position is the most useful for hunters. Military shooters use it less because it's neither as low as prone nor fast like squatting or kneeling.
Make the Sacrifice Worth it: Olympic Shooting with Amanda Banta
Amanda Banta is a national rifle champion and Olympic competitor. She began shooting at 11 years old and competed in the 2012 Olympic games only 9 years later. In this conversation, we take a look at what it took to make that kind of progress, what it means to have a winning mindset, and of course learn some tips for better marksmanship practice.
